How To Use Extension Points To Set Up Custom Tasks

UppercuT is designed so you never need to edit the files in the build folder. At a few points during the build operation, uppercut will call out to custom extension points (also known as hooks).

To add custom extensions, all you need to do is create them in a folder next to build called build.custom.

The Build Pipeline

Understand the BuildPipeline

Customizing the Build

Extensions are stored in a different folder than the build. It is meant to sit next to the build folder. The default name is build.custom. The items are called in this order: pre, replace, and post. NOTE: If you replace a step that has steps under it, those steps will not run unless you call them from your custom replacement step.

• pre - the step runs these steps before it runs it's normal tasks.
• replace - the step runs these steps INSTEAD of it's normal tasks
• post - the step runs these steps after it's normal tasks. 

This is the order of where each pre, post, and replace extension point is called:

• default.build (in example build.custom/default.pre.build, then build/default.build OR build.custom/default.replace.build, and finally build.custom/default.post.build - NOTE: If you include default.replace.build, nothing else will run because everything is called from default.build.
• 1. policyChecks.step
  2. versionBuilder.step NOTE: If you include build.custom/versionBuilder.replace.step, the items below will not run.
     • svn.step, tfs.step, or git.step (the custom tasks for these need to go in build.custom/versioners)
  3. generateBuildInfo.step
  4. compile.step
  5. environmentBuilder.step
  6. analyze.step NOTE: If you include build.custom/analyze.replace.step, the items below will not run.
     1. test.step (the custom tasks for this need to go in build.custom/analyzers) NOTE: If you include build.custom/analyzers/test.replace.step, the items below will not run.
        • mbunit2.step, gallio.step, or nunit.step (the custom tasks for these need to go in build.custom/analyzers)
     2. ncover.step (the custom tasks for this need to go in build.custom/analyzers)
     3. ndepend.step (the custom tasks for this need to go in build.custom/analyzers)
     4. moma.step (the custom tasks for this need to go in build.custom/analyzers)
  7. package.step NOTE: If you include build.custom/package.replace.step, the items below will not run.
     • deploymentBuilder.step

If you add one of these files, you can call off to any custom tasks or other files you want. 

Customize with NAnt

You can go into the build folder and open a command window and type customize.bat step type where step is the name of the step you want to customize and type is pre, post, or replace. This will create a file in the build.custom folder for you that has many of the properties already available so you can just start writing your tasks.